Running
by God of Fire
Summary: Sometimes running is the answer when it comes to those you love.


title: Running  
  
rating: G  
  
keywords: harry/hermione  
  
category: romance/angst  
  
summary: running is sometimes the answer when it comes to those you love.  
  
a/n: this is a story to commemorate my completion of one of my chaps for NTB. you should read it. it's good.  
  
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Once again the day had come to a very disappointing end. Harry trudged up to the astronomy tower after dinner, avoiding the looks of his friends and the taunts of his enemies. He was no longer the Boy-Who-Lived, but yet the Boy-Who-Didn't-Want-to-Live. If people thought that life was rough, they hadn't seen his.  
  
All within the past week Harry had discovered that aurors had found his godfather and sent him back to Azkaban. If that wasn't enough, they were to administer the kiss within the week. And the previous night Harry had heard Dumbledore talking to Snape about Voldemort. Apparently there had been some type of an underground uprising, and his powers were returning quickly.  
  
Harry sighed as he looked out the window at the midnight blue sky. The stars twinkled back to him, and he waved them off. He wasn't in the mood for looking at the sky tonight. And going to the astronomy tower was a crazy idea, but it was one of the only places that he could go to without interuption for some peace and quiet.  
  
The creaky wooden door to the tower opened and Harry slipped inside. He shut it quickly and walked over to a window sill to sit down. He wrapped his arms around his knees and leaned his head back against the cool window pane. He closed his eyes and tried to wash out the past week.  
  
"You can't just run away everytime that you need to be alone, you know. Sometimes telling people what's wrong is the answer."  
  
Hermione stepped out of the shadows and walked over to where Harry sat. she crawled up on the ledge and sat opposite from him. He glanced outside and at the ground below. He focused on anything that he could get his eyes on, just as long as he didn't have to look at her.  
  
"I know that you're upset about Sirius. We all are. But you can't be like this the rest of your life, Harry. You're going to have to let someone in."  
  
"How did you know that I would be here?" Harry asked, changing the subject.  
  
"I know you better than you think. I could just...tell that you would be coming here."  
  
Harry sighed and looked up at her. The second he did, he wished that he hadn't. Tears welled up in his eyes. He fought them long and hard, washing the minutes away just trying to get them to recede. But ultimately they fell freely down his cheeks, and he found himself crying in Hermione's arms.  
  
"I don't want to do this anymore," Harry said softly.  
  
"What don't you want to do?"  
  
"This! I don't want to be a wizard anymore. I just want to go and live life as a muggle without having to worry about anything or anyone anymore."  
  
"Oh, Harry. You don't mean that," Hermione said as Harry backed up out of her arms. He stood a foot away with his hands pressed on the sill of the window, bent over thinking.  
  
"I do mean that. This may be my last year at Hogwarts, but I won't finish if things keep up the way they have."  
  
Hermione was silent as Harry spoke. Harry quit talking and looked up at Hermione. He saw that she was quiet and intently staring at him.  
  
"Would you give this up if you knew that things would be easy for the rest of your life? Would you do it if you knew you'd be happy?" Harry asked as he walked up to her. Her gripped her arms and pulled her close. His face was inches from hers. She was almost scared to answer him.  
  
"Would you?" Harry asked in a whisper.  
  
"Yes, I guess I would," Hermione said just as quietly.  
  
"Will you come with me?" Harry asked.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Away from this. I want to fade into the background and be forgotten."  
  
"Harry, running won't make you happy."  
  
"I would be happy if you would come with me. I need you, Mione. I need you by my side."  
  
Hermione stared into the depths of his open green eyes. She couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Her heart raced as she knew that this would be the defining line of her life. She opened her mouth to speak.  
  
"I can't love you and not go."  
  
Harry pulled Hermione to him and kissed her thankfully. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her own arms around his waist. They stood in the darkness of the astronomy tower like that for ten minutes. Neither talking, neither moving away from the other.  
  
A clock chimed on the other side of the room and they seperated. Harry looked at Hermione expectantly. She nodded and they walked out the door together hand in hand. Ready to face a whole new world.  
  
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FINITO  
  
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a/n: REVIEW 


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